TOP 5 RIGHT BACKS IN WORLD FOOTBALL

Back in January, I wrote an article about the battle to be considered the world's best goalkeeper, a title that different people give to various different goalkeepers around the world, but there is no outstanding winner. The same goes for the right back position, as there are a lot of contenders but no player is widely considered to be the best right back in the world. In this article, I'll give my opinion on who are the top five right backs in world football from fifth to first.

5. Bacary Sagna

The Frenchman's importance to Arsenal's team simply cannot be understated. His consistently solid performances for the north London club has added his name to the long list of Arsene Wenger's successful yet relatively cheap signings. His assured, collected style of play means Sagna often frustrates wingers as he is hardly ever out of position. These traits mean that he is widely considered one of the premier league's most reliable and trustworthy players, a very different regard to the one a lot of his fellow Arsenal defenders are held in.

4. Philip Lahm

A Bayern Munich player since the tender age of eleven years old, Philip Lahm has developed into a magnificent defender, at left back as well as right back. He's one of the first names on the team sheet for both Bayern and his national team Germany, and has won the Bundesliga an impressive four times, as well as having appeared in the final of Euro 2008. Despite being only 1m 70cm (5 ft 7 in) tall, his strength and determination means Lahm is very difficult to get past. Indeed, he has all the hallmarks of a great right back and at just 27 years of age, his career should just keep getting better for years to come.

3. Sergio Ramos

In many ways, Sergio Ramos is the epitome of a modern right back. Athletic, energetic and technically capable of putting in a fantastic cross every now and again. A testament to the natural ability of the Spaniard is that many people think that he is better playing at centre back rather than right back, yet Real Madrid and Spain certainly do not look elsewhere for a right back. His doubters say he is too rash in his tackles, but his importance and natural quality can't be denied.

2. Maicon

When people think of Maicon, they think of his renowned attacking prowess which would rival almost any right midfielder in the world. However, the 30 year old Brazilian is also a superb defensive player and his pace means that no matter how far he goes up the pitch in an attack, he often manages to get back to defend his goal. Many feel that Maicon's best season was the 2009/10 season, where he produced some outstanding displays, both from an offensive perspective and a defensive perspective. These performances helped his side, Internazionale win the treble, the champions league, Serie A and the Italian cup.

1. Dani Alves

For many years, Dani Alves was rumored to be one of the world's most promising right backs, and when Barcelona signed him from Sevilla in 2008, they did so at the envy of all the world's top clubs. Yet the price of the signing, €32.5 million, meant that there was a great deal of pressure on Alves from the start. This didn't seem to worry Alves though, as in his first season with Barcelona he quickly established himself as one of the club's top right back. Now in his fourth season at Barcelona, Alves has won an incredible 3 la liga titles, two champions leagues and one copa del rey. His pace, technique, energy and bamboozling runs means in my opinion, there is no better right back in the whole of world football who is better than Dani Alves.

Who do you think deserves a spot in this list and who should they replace? Do you think certain players on the list should be higher up or perhaps lower down? Please leave a comment, as I’d be interested to know.

TOP 10 CELEBRITY FOOTBALL FANS

Football, or soccer fans are some of the most emotional and devoted fans in the world. Some people outspend their means in order to see their favorite team compete. However in stadiums around the world, amongst thousands of ordinary people, celebrities are often found cheering on their team as well. Here are some of football's most emotional and even surprising celebrity fans.

Hugh Grant: Fulham

The film star nearly always plays the part of the charming English gentleman in his films. The theme of charming fits in with his favorite team, Fulham, due to the club's traditional values and charming, old fashioned ground. When he's not in Hollywood, don't be surprised if you see Grant at Craven Cottage. Not sure if I’ll see him standing up going wild though, can you?

Rafael Nadal: Real Madrid

If he wasn't a world famous tennis player, Rafael Nadal would probably go to the Santiago Bernabeu to watch Real Madrid play every single week. A fan since birth, Nadal is often thought of as an ordinary fan by the Real Madrid faithful. Interestingly enough, in 2010, Nadal bought a 10% stake in Real Mallorca in order to help the club who were struggling financially.

The Gallagher brothers: Manchester City

The two Oasis members have been City fans since birth and despite their recent conflicts with each other, both of them are still often seen at their favorite club's games; both home and away. However, the brothers were in different areas of the ground when Man City defeated great rivals Manchester Utd at the FA cup semi final.

Caroline Wozniacki : Liverpool

The former world number one female tennis player is a massive fan of the Anfield club and isn't afraid to admit her adoration of the club's captain Steven Gerrard. In a tournament in Qatar in 2011, Wozniacki wore an Adidas Liverpool tracksuit.

Sir Elton John: Watford

Not only does the legendary singer support Watford, he's also a former chairman of the club. The impact he made while in the role was profound, as due to Elton's colossal wealth, Watford were able to buy players who were previously out of their league. This huge financial help meant that the club were able to climb three divisions in Elton's eleven year tenure and even finished runners up in the 1981/82 first division (now known as the premier league). Despite leaving Watford in 1987, Elton John has since done performances at Watford's home ground, Vicarage road, with the funds going to the club.0

Richard Attenborough: Chelsea

The legendary film director has been a well known Chelsea fan for over 65 years. His love for Chelsea began just after world war two ended and has continued ever since. Despite being 89 years old now, Attenborough often goes to Chelsea home matches and was even chosen to announce the club's player of the year at the ceremony in 2008. Such is the regard Attenborough is held in at the club, he was named as an honorary club president back in

1993.

Robbie Williams: Port Vale

Much like with Elton John and Watford, Port Vale are hardly blessed with having celebrity fans. However, the one they do have is a genuine a-lister. Robbie Williams, the international pop star has passionately supported the club his whole life. Back in 2006, the singer became the majority shareholder in the club who are currently in league two. But many of the club's fans aren't very happy with Williams now as despite his wealth, the club are sadly now in administration.

Kobe Bryant: FC Barcelona

The LA Lakers star has been a Barca fan for at least six years now and never was this more apparent than in the summer of 2007 when Bryant visited Catalonia on holiday. During his trip Bryant met the Barca squad and has often been pictured in the club's iconic blue and red striped shirt. It's rather ironic how one of basketball's greatest players of the 2000's is a fan of the club which is almost undoubtedly the greatest football club of the same decade. It seems that the American and the Spanish champions are simply made for each other.

Tom Hanks: Aston Villa

The star of "Forrest Gump" has an intriguing passion for the Midlands club and was even pictured holding an Aston Villa scarf proudly above his head. However, the American actor has never attended a game, although in November 2011, he did personally write to members of Villa's California supporters club.

Queen Elizabeth II: Arsenal

Now the Queen of England may not have been seen at the emirates cheering on the gunners, nor was there an Arsenal flag flying at the top of Buckingham palace when they won the premier league back in 2004. However, over the years, the Queen's potential love of Arsenal has often been referenced. For example, in 2007, the entire Arsenal squad was invited to Buckingham palace for tea with the Queen herself. Then, a palace spokesman claimed "Her majesty has been rather fond of Arsenal for over 50 years"

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this more jovial, less serious article. It’s very different to what I’m used to writing and I wanted to show how many celebrities are football fans and while doing so, giving the clubs some more exposure. Thanks for reading.

MANCHESTER CITY VS CHELSEA PREVIEW

A re-energized Chelsea side will travel to the Etihad stadium to face Manchester City on Wednesday night in a game where defeat would spell disaster for either team.

Manchester City currently lay in 2nd, four points behind their arch rivals Manchester United, however City do have a game in hand. The sky blues had led the table for the majority of the season, but after their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Swansea last weekend, twinned with United's comfortable 2-0 win over west Brom on the same day, Manchester United took top spot. City weren't in action this weekend but United were, meaning that United's 5-0 win over Wolves extended the champions lead to four points. A victory for City on Wednesday night would reduce this to just one point, which would make for a very, very intriguing final two months of the premier league season.

As for Chelsea, their fans have witnessed a spectacular turn of fortunes since André Villas-Boas was sacked on March the 4th, and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo. So far, the blues are undefeated under Di Matteo, with the 4-1 win at home to Napoli (which was enough to see them advance into the last 8 of the champions league) the most remarkable of them all. However, only one of these 4 wins have been in the league, and that was the least impressive of these wins, a 1-0 victory over eleven man Stoke. In the league, they lie in fifth place, which would only give them Europa league football, no champions league football, which Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made clear, simply isn't good enough. A win over Manchester City would give Chelsea a massive boost in their battle to get in the top four. However, there is added pressure for the blues as Arsenal, who are three points ahead of Chelsea take on Wolves at the emirates on the same night, while Tottenham, who are four points ahead of Chelsea, take on Stoke. If both north London clubs win and Chelsea lose, Chelsea would be six points behind Arsenal and seven behind Tottenham. Hardly a desirable position to be in with just nine games remaining.

Manchester City's starting eleven is arguably the most difficult starting eleven to predict in the entire premier league. Roberto Mancini regularly alternates his starting strikers between Mario Balotelli, Sergio Kün Aguero and Edin Džeko. But to through a spanner in the works, it is strongly being suggested that Carlos Tevez, who hasn't played for City's first team since September 27th after allegedly refusing to come on against Bayern Munich. Since then, the Argentine striker has been suspended by City, as well as fined. If he makes his return, it shall be interesting to see the reception the City fans give him.

As for Chelsea, there will be some very tough decisions to make for Roberto Di Matteo. Does he go with the tried and trusted Didier Drogba or does he play Fernando Torres, whose performance against Leicester on Sunday was his best since joining Chelsea? Does he play Michael Essien who was disappointing against Napoli or does he play Raul Meireles who has divided opinion since joining the blues? Which two central defenders does he decide to play out of David Luiz, Gary Cahill and John Terry? Chelsea’s starting eleven will certainly be an intriguing one.

Key battles

Juan Mata v Gareth Barry

Trusting both men play, the winner of this battle could determine whether or not Chelsea are able to score at the Etihad or not. Juan Mata has had a fantastic first season in English football, and his creativity has contributed to a significant number of Chelsea's goals this season. However, if Barry can stop Mata seeing a lot of the ball, it may be a frustrating night for Chelsea.

Sergio Aguero vs. John Terry

One of the premier league's best strikers will take on one of the league’s best defenders in this battle. Aguero, who's scored an impressive sixteen goals for City this season, will no doubt attempt to use his trickery and speed to get past the more physical and powerful John Terry. Aguero will presumably get a lot of service from the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva, so Terry will have a tough job on his hands if he wants to keep the striker quiet.

Ramires vs. Yaya Toure

These two midfielders have been arguably two of the premier league's best so far this season. Both teams seem significantly worse off when they're not playing and both Roberto Di Matteo and Roberto Mancini will be relying on their player to boss the game and whichever one of these two players see most of the ball, could easily determine the winner of the match.

So who do you guys think will win the match? Should Mancini trust Tevez? Should Di Matteo play Drogba or should he play Torres? I'd be interested to know.

LOANING PLAYERS: GOOD OR BAD?

When a team brings in a player on loan, they may have a range of motives as to why they made the move. The same goes for the team who the player left to join. However, do loan deals really work? Are they always necessary? Using some named examples, I'll attempt to explain the reasons why loan deals can be both positive and negative for the clubs involved and I’ll also give my opinion on when sending a player out on loan and bringing a player in on loan, is right.

When a player leaves a club for a while, it can help the player mature, regardless of which team the player plays for full time. If there is a dispute between the player and his club, a loan deal can really take the pressure off the player and give him time to get his head straight. An example of this type of loan deal which has worked out well is Craig Bellamy's loan move from Newcastle to Celtic back in January 2005, after the welsh striker had a very public falling out with the then Newcastle manager, Graeme Souness. Such was the heat of the dispute; Newcastle decided to send Bellamy out on loan to Celtic, where he scored an impressive nine goals in just 15 games, with some dedicated performances. During the summer, after months of contemplating his future, Bellamy decided to leave Newcastle for Blackburn, but the loan deal definitely helped Bellamy as he gained valuable playing time, something that he probably wouldn’t have got at Newcastle.

If you're a "bigger" team such as Arsenal, Barcelona or Man United, a lot of the players you loan out are younger players who are looking to gain top level experience and show what they can do on the big stage. But is the form the player displays on this stage truly reliable? Gael Kakuta for example, left Chelsea for Fulham in January 2011 after struggling to get appearances. What followed was four months of frustration for the young French winger who made a mere 7 appearances, and quite frankly gained nothing from the spell. This significantly reduced Chelsea's faith in him, and now Kakuta is desperately trying to impress at Dijon in ligue 1, after he spent the first 5 months of the 2011/12 season on loan at Bolton, which resulted in a similar way to his time at Fulham.

Despite the misfortune and frustration Kakuta suffered at both Fulham and Bolton, a lot of young players who are contracted to top clubs find success at the "lesser" clubs. The team the young player goes to often find themselves struggling and needing instant results, meaning the player has to do well and be willing to work hard in order to get playing time. Back in early 2010, Bolton were languishing towards the bottom of the premier league table. At the opposite end of the premier league spectrum, Arsenal were battling for the title, and Jack Wilshere was playing in the reserve team, desperately trying to play more in the first team, but it simply wasn't happening. So Arsenal decided to loan the central midfielder out. Then, for the season's remaining four months, Wilshere excelled, and the season later, he became one of Arsenal's most vital players.

However, as useful as some loan signings can be to a team, there’s a very fine line between a loan signing who actually benefits a team and is willing to work hard, and a youngster who knows that the club that he goes to on loan will not be his permanent club, so he may not do what is necessarily best for the club he is on loan at, instead he may have his potential future playing opportunities in mind when taking a shot or going for a tackle. The player being in this situation may also hinder the way the player is thought of back at his parent club. I mean, how reliable is the success or perhaps the lack of success the player has whilst out on loan with a different manger, being in a different area and with different teammates? Some players may cope with this new way of life better than others, and in the majority of loan deals, the player has only a few months to impress and he is under a large amount of pressure. In my opinion, this is a little harsh and is a difficult method of measuring a player’s ability.

To conclude, whenever a team brings a player in on loan or a team sends one of their players out on loan, it has to be in a way so that the player develops and also the team he joins up with have to be willing to play him. The majority of loan deals are successful as they help the player develop and if the option of signing players on loan is suddenly banned by FIFA, then it would definitely have a negative impact on many teams. For example, Portsmouth, who are currently in administration, are at this moment aiming to bring in as many loan players as possible as a matter of emergency. If it wasn't for the possibility of loan deals, their squad would be truly on the brink due to the club’s financial constraints. My advice to teams sending players out on loan to so called lesser teams would be for them not to decide the player’s future on this spell. You have to consider all aspects of the player’s potential before giving up on him.

FIVE REASONS WHY THE FA CUP IS STILL MAGICAL

The general consensus when you ask fans about the FA cup is that it’s lost its class, lost its magic. Some blame the colossal wages players now receive, some blame the premier league and its corporate structure which has belittled the ‘’childhood dreams’’ of being in the FA cup final. Some say it’s simply because the biggest clubs have their eyes only on the premier league. However, although the FA cup has certainly changed since the legendary 1953 final when the late, great sir Stanley Matthews helped his side, Blackpool defeat Bolton 4-3, despite being 3-1 down in a final that was dubbed ‘’the Matthews final’’, there is still magic in the FA cup. Here are five reasons why.

The players still care

If you feel that due to the quite frankly ridiculous wages of top players in England that none of the players feel any love and admiration for the iconic tournament, then you are wrong. The sheer elation on the faces of Manchester city’s stars when they won the cup last season spoke volumes. Now, I’m not saying ALL modern players care just as much as their more modestly paid predecessors did, but I think presuming that every single one of them only cares about the premier league and champions league, is just wrong and harsh.

The fans

FA cup games, regardless of who’s playing, have a truly unique build up. The idea that anyone can beat anyone still resonates with fans and most of them, they love it. Other than the world cup, there is no competition, not even the champions league, that is able to make non-football fans believe in the players and the managers who are on their TV screens. It’s just something that can’t be stopped, regardless of how much the players are paid.

The TV channels love it

Whether you like it or not, if it wasn’t for the interest of the TV channels, the FA cup probably wouldn’t be around now. It’s just the way it is today. In the UK, terrestrial channel ITV shares the broadcasting rights, along with ESPN. In the USA, another major channel, FOX soccer have the honor of showing the tournament. These are just some of the huge channels that broadcast the cup which has allegedly lost its magic. Throughout the rest of the world, many more well-known channels broadcast the FA cup.

The excitement of the final

One of the criticisms of the modern FA cup is that due to the sheer amount of matches being broadcast, there is nothing unique about the FA cup final, which used to be the only match broadcasted live in England. However, when do you see so many balloons, flags and banners at wembley other than on cup final day? There is even royalty on the day of the final at wembley. I for one can’t think of any other games with all of that and more, can you? So that alone makes the FA cup truly unique.

Giant killings

Yes it’s a cliché but the FA cup always conjures up some exciting ties featuring teams at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. For example, last season, we had Crawley, then a mere conference club facing off against the colossal Manchester united at the majestic old Trafford. In the end, United won only 1-0 and only the woodwork denied Crawley a last minute equalizer. When you see the excitement on the faces of the players who play for the so-called lesser clubs in English football, you appreciate why the FA cup is still magical, albeit in a different sense to that of decades previous.

JOSE MOURINHO V BARCELONA

Current Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is known for causing controversy and a lot of this controversy has happened during games between his teams and FC Barcelona.

Ironically, Mourinho once worked for the catalan club, as an interpreter for the late Sir Bobby Robson during the years 1996 to 1997. Although this tenure was short and very much a backseat job, the portuguese learned plenty about the club and its values.

When he became Chelsea manager in 2004, Mourinho would have the chance to return to the camp nou in the champions league round of 16. Not surprisingly, Mourinho left Catalonia with many of the following days headlines, after Mourinho shockingly accused referee Anders Frisk of conspiring with Barcelona. Over these two matches, Chelsea went through 6-5 on aggregate. Round 1 to Mourinho.

A year later, and it was Barcelona v Chelsea yet again, and this time it was Barcelona who went through. Mourinho didn't complain much, but you could tell this was a highly painful defeat for the then Chelsea manager. Four years on, and Mourinho was managing then Italian champions, Internazionale or inter Milan for short. This round went to Mourinho as well as Barcelona, the tournament's winners the year before were knocked out in the semi finals thanks to a 3-1 Inter win in Milan, followed by an outstanding defensive display by Inter meant barca's 1-0 win on the night wasn't enough. A magnificent achievement by Mourinho as inter went on to win the champions league that season.

After this, Mourinho needed a new challenge and Real Madrid offered that. With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain, many felt real had a genuine chance of winning both the champions league and la liga. However, this early season hope was extinguished in November after Mourinho's men received a 5-0 beating with Messi, Villa and Iniesta particularly impressive on the night. La liga was gone, but Mourinho could get revenge on Barca in the champions league semi final.

The stage was set: a warm spring night in Madrid, with an el Classico for a champions league semi final with millions watching around the world. What followed in the first leg was a highly charged game which led to a sending off for Real Madrid player, Pepe, after a tackle on Dani Alves. The replay showed minimal contact and Mourinho was sent to the stands for his reaction to the decision. Two late goals from Lionel Messi won the game for Barca and despite their best efforts, real Madrid could only manage a 1-1 draw at the camp nou.

Pepe's red card meant Real Madrid had four players sent off in their past four matches with Barcelona. A copa ray victory where they beat Barca in the final meant that Mourinho's 2010/11 season wasn't entirely unsuccessful, but Barca had foiled the portuguese again. The start of the 2011/12 season and neither team had changed all that much. Barca bought Alexis Sanchez and real Madrid bought Nuri Sahin, but there was little expectation that either man would make a huge, immediate impact.

The season's first Classico took place at the Bernabeu and real Madrid went in with a three point advantage over their great rivals. However, despite Madrid taking the lead, Barca came back to comprehensively win 3-1. At this stage, some thought that Barcelona would get back to their dominance of la liga, but Madrid came back with Cristiano Ronaldo on fire.

At time of writing, Madrid currently lay seven points ahead of Barcelona. For the first time in years, there is a sense of negativity in Catalonia. If Real Madrid can eclipse Barcelona this season, it shall be the first time since the 2006/07 season that a club other than Barcelona will win la liga. The job that Mourinho was called upon to do in summer 2010 is two months away from completion. Iconic status among Madrid's passionate fans lies in wait for Mourinho as well as putting his own personal demons to rest.